Marxist Theory of Crime

Using the material from item A and elsewhere assess the usefulness of redness approaches to an understanding of iniquity and deviation. (21 marks) Marxist approaches fucking be useful to help us understand crime and deviance. Marxists surmisal adopts the belief that the ruling class is responsible for societies. They think crime is consistently generated by the structure of capitalist society. Marxists believe that society is divided into twain classes, the bourgeoisie and the proletariat.The bourgeoisie promote values such(prenominal) as individualization and competition, and some may argue that it is these values that promote crime amongst the veritable(prenominal) offenders, the proletariat. Traditional Marxism attempts to explain the relationship between the two aforementioned classes, with writers such as William Chambliss concluding that the best way to understand crime and deviance is to analyse the process by which the ruling class exploit their subordinates , done means such as the media , ideology and false-class consciousness, to name a few mediums.An example of this, again the result of a study conducted by Chambliss. Marxist say that the rich and powerful decide what is considered deviant and criminal in society to suit their own needs and interests. This supports item A as it states a set of rules laid down by the state in the interest of the ruling class. This is reflected in crime statistics the most common offenders argon young, black males between the ages of 15-21. A counter argument to this is the idea of striving Theory developed by Robert Merton.Traditional Marxism argues that it is increased aggression and individualistic temper of the capitalist society that inspires individuals to commit crime, however Merton comments that it is Strain between goals and the real means to achieve these goals that cause an individual to commit crime. It is as well as noted that the Traditional Marxist theory solo looks at the cause of crim e, and not the effect that the crime has on the society. An an another(prenominal)(prenominal)wise sociological theory that attempts to exit an explanation for crime and deviance is the Marxist subcultural theory.This Marxist theory of crime goes on to explain it is the emergence of early days subculture that result in crime. It is argued that only the stems on the margins of society argon the few that argon not flinch by the ideology and economic importance of the ruling class, and due to this resistor, they are able to somewhat resist the influence of the capitalist society. The largest group which display this resistance are typically the working class youth.According to Brake, amongst other writers, the resistance which is provided by the working class youth is expressed through youth subcultures. A subculture is defined as a group inwardly a society who adopt alternative norms and values to mainstream society. The youth disassociate of these subcultures will wear diffe rent, or rather radical clothing compared to mainstream society, and their language, among other attitudes and formalities, will show a contempt for the capitalist system of which they are on the fringes of.It is also said by Brake, that this resistance is witching(prenominal), magical in the sense that this resistance does nothing to solve the problems that are experient by the youth subcultures, but it still continues, because each generation, it is said that the capitalist society produces vast wealth inequalities and opportunities, said by Althusser. Stan Cohen, on the other noted that this analysis of working class youth subcultures are ground on analysis, and as such, are biased, due to these writers looking to prove that subcultures are a direct attack on the capitalist society.A criticism that Cohen provided is that at that place are many ways in which an individual can rede the actions of a subculture, the Marxist view on this just so happens to be one of the many view s in circulation. Blackman also notes that the concentration on youth subcultures and resistance ignores the fact that many subcultures are formed with an emphasis on, gender, sexuality, and also intelligence.Youth subcultures exist everywhere, in also institutions, for example in education. at that place are some who specifically desire to adhere to the rules of the education, and follow guardianship as they are given, and there are those who wish to resist because they come upon schoolwork autonomous, (the earoles and the lads ), which is taken from the interpretivist view of education.